With the Union Budget 2024-25 - a vote-on account this time because of the elections - coming closer, the Indian space mission keeps its fingers crossed for fund allocations.
The Centre had earmarked Rs 12,543.91 crore for the Indian Space Programme for fiscal 2023-24 as a cumulative allocation for the Department of Space (DoS), a government-run entity overseeing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-Space).
Major part of the allocation, amounting to Rs 11,669.41 crore, was listed for central sector schemes and projects. These included the human spaceflight centre and various institutions within the department handling launch vehicle and satellite projects, encompassing both developmental and operational initiatives.
It should, however, be noted that there was a marginal reduction of nearly 8 percent in the fiscal 2023-24 budget, compared to the corresponding figure of Rs 13,700 crore for fiscal 2022-23.
The budget allocation for space science, encompassing missions like Chandrayaan 3, Aditya L1, and ISOR's Climate and Atmospheric Programme, witnessed a 32 percent reduction compared to the previous budget estimate. The INSAT satellite system, on the other hand, saw an increase of Rs 112 crore, aiming to generate a projected revenue of Rs 445 crore in fiscal 2023-2024 through satcom service provisions.
Also read | India's space economy set to reach USD 40 bn by 2040: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
IN-Space, which serves as the government's single-window entity for the private sector, was allotted Rs 95 crore, with a significant portion, or Rs 53 crore, specifically designated for capital expenditure within the organisation.
A year of making history
The Indian space sector scripted history this year with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the lunar south pole on August 23. India officially became the fourth nation after the US, Russia, and China to land on the moon, and the first to touch the unchartered south pole of the moon.
Nearly a week later, on September 2, ISRO fired up the nation's first space-based mission, Aditya L1, to study the Sun.
Mission 2024
On December 7, the government relayed to the Rajya Sabha that ISRO has outlined plans for six PSLV missions, three GSLV launches, and one commercial mission involving Launch Vehicle Mark-3 in 2024.
Jitendra Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), while answering queries in the House on India's space mission in 2024, announced that ISRO is slated to deploy a technology demonstration satellite during the third developmental flight of its latest launch vehicle, the SSLV.
Another highly anticipated mission is the NASA-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), a collaborative effort between NASA and ISRO scheduled for launch in 2024. NISAR, the first dual-band radar imaging satellite, will provide crucial Earth observation data, emphasising the increasing international cooperation in space exploration.
Apart from NISAR, ISRO has several ambitious projects in the pipeline. The INSAT-3DS, a communication satellite in the Indian National Satellite System series, holds significance in meteorology and disaster management.
Enhancing India's remote-sensing capabilities, RISAT-1B and Resourcesat-3 are in progress, while TDS01 and SPADEX will contribute to technological research and experimentation for lunar missions.
The Gaganyaan programme will eventually lead to sending Indian astronauts into space, setting a key milestone for the nation. Also, the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) project is set to demonstrate technologies for cost-effective space access.
On the other hand, Oceansat-3A will continue the legacy of its predecessors in oceanography and atmospheric studies. The Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) aims to establish a real-time communication link with remote sensing and scientific satellites. GSAT-20 is expected to boost telecommunication services, and NVS-02 will enhance navigation systems.
Widening private space sector
Singh also noted that the private space sector in India is playing a crucial role, with 523 startups and companies engaging with IN-SPACe, ISRO's commercial arm, as of November 2023, with 297 seeking support for R&D and testing.
In a recent interaction with the media, Dr Pawan Goenka, chairman of IN-SPACe, highlighted the widening focus on India's space sector, attributing it to the Narendra Modi government's open-minded approach. He emphasised the necessity for India to make significant strides in private sector involvement, expressing the belief that foreign direct investment (FDI) will create additional opportunities in the space sector.
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